Our project: Witness to Harm, Holding to Account

Improving patient, family and colleague witnesses’ experiences of Fitness to Practise proceedings: a mixed methods study

Our research aimed to understand the experience of people being a witness in the Fitness to Practise process. We focused on cases where the witness or their family member has died or believes that someone seriously harmed them. We examined: 

• the impact of being involved in Fitness to Practise investigations and hearings on the person, family and colleague witnesses
• what support they receive from the regulator, and what support they would like.

For people who have experienced harm, it can be profoundly distressing or re-traumatising to have to remember and describe traumatic events. However, the person’s account raising concerns is often crucial to the Fitness to Practise process. 

We completed a research project with input from members of the public, regulators, professionals, employers, lawyers and the public. The project aim was to find out about public experiences of the Fitness to Practise process and what regulators can do to improve it. 

This study/project was funded by the NIHR HS&DR programme (NIHR131322). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] or the Department of Health and Social Care.